Lenten Readings -- Jeremiah 2

Previous readings were an introduction to Jeremiah and some thoughts on Jeremiah 1.

1. Roughly the first ten chapters of Jeremiah relate to the time before Josiah's reforms in the late 620s BC. By this time, the northern kingdom of Israel had been gone for a century. After destroying the northern kingdom, the Assyrians had mixed the land of Israel in the north with non-Israelites. This would become the place where the Samaritans would live. 

Although Judah escaped destruction, it was still living under the tension of Assyrian dominance at the time of Josiah. However,  Assyria was entering its last decade of power before it would finally be defeated by the Babylonians in 609BC. King Josiah would also die in 609BC trying to stop the king of Egypt from backing the Assyrians up.

2. Jeremiah 2 indicts Judah for being unfaithful to Yahweh, even though Yahweh brought Israel out from Egypt. It is a theme we see often among the prophets. 

Why? God asks through Jeremiah. Why did you go after other gods? Why wasn't Yahweh good enough for Israel? Jeremiah is baffled that a people would change its gods. When has a people ever done that?

The main competitor would seem to be Ba'al. We remember that Israel did not expel all the other Semites from the land. During this period, the Israelites may have been largely henotheistic — believing in the existence of other gods while holding that only Yahweh should be worshiped. The biblical prophets repeatedly called them back to the exclusive worship of Yahweh. In this period, you probably had families who had always worshiped Ba'al, and you probably had Israelites who also worshiped Ba'al. You may also have had Israelites who thought Yahweh and Ba'al were the same god by different names.

Josiah would insist not only that Yahweh be the sole God Israel worshiped but that he only be worshiped with sacrifice properly in Jerusalem at the temple. Later, the Samaritans would develop their own temple and their own syncretistic way of worshiping Yahweh (300s). Similarly, some of the exiles after Babylon destroyed the city would eventually set up their own temple in Elephantine in Egypt (400s BC). These alternative temples may reflect how novel Josiah's reform was at the time as well as the fact that the concept of worshiping Yahweh outside Jerusalem continued in the minds of many people.

None of that had happened yet when Jeremiah was prophesying. He was bringing Judah back to the story -- it all started when Yahweh delivered them from Egypt. They must have no other gods before him. Yahweh is a fountain of living water for them (2:13) -- an image Jesus uses in John 4. But they have tried to dig their own cisterns, cisterns with cracks that let the water out. Israel was a lovely vineyard who instead has gone after wild grape vines (2:21).

3. Jeremiah also warns Israel against reliance on Egypt. This will not be a problem for Josiah. As we mentioned, Josiah will die in battle against Egypt in 609, trying to stop them from helping the Assyrians against the Babylonians.

The final part of the chapter warns Israel about idolatry. They take a tree or a stone and call it their father (2:27). God sends them prophets. They kill them (2:30). They have forgotten their bridal attire (2:32).

Idolatry and worshiping other gods usually goes hand in hand in the prophets with social injustice. So Israel has oppressed the innocent poor -- even though they have not broken into your houses in desperation (2:34). It would be interesting to hear more about what Jeremiah is thinking here. Did the poor sometimes break into homes looking for food and such? Or was this a common trope used to put the poor in their place, an excuse to hate them?

The chapter ends again with a warning not to depend on Egypt for help.